Metallica/Lady Gaga Grammy Mic Culprit Identified

James Hetfield’s microphone was off during their “Moth Into Flame” performance

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NARAS

Last night, Metallica and Lady Gaga’s performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards was temporarily hampered by microphone issues. As they began “Moth Into Flame” (from Hardwired...to Self-Destruct), James Hetfield’s mic wasn’t working. While TMZ’s source claimed that a stagehand accidentally unplugged a wire beneath the stage between the mic check and the performance, a Recording Academy spokesperson offered a different explanation. “What we believe happened was that either a dancer or an extra clipped the line running on the floor and it unplugged at the base of the mic,” the spokesperson told Pitchfork. While they didn’t name a specific responsible party, they explained that the incident “was, of course, accidental.”

Laverne Cox, who introduced the performance, has also apologized for forgetting to say Metallica’s name. See her tweet below.